< Deuteronomy 8 >
1 Take care to keep all the orders which I give you today, so that you may have life and be increased and go in and take as a heritage the land which the Lord, by his oath to your fathers, undertook to give you.
All the commandments which I command you this day shall all of you observe to do, that all of you may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers.
2 And keep in mind the way by which the Lord your God has taken you through the waste land these forty years, so that he might make low your pride and put you to the test, to see what was in your heart and if you would keep his orders or not.
And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God led you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, and to prove you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or no.
3 And he made low your pride and let you be without food and gave you manna for your food, a thing new to you, which your fathers never saw; so that he might make it clear to you that bread is not man's only need, but his life is in every word which comes out of the mouth of the Lord.
And he humbled you, and suffered you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you knew not, neither did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD does man live.
4 Through all these forty years your clothing did not get old or your feet become tired.
Your raiment waxed not old upon you, neither did your foot swell, these forty years.
5 Keep in mind this thought, that as a son is trained by his father, so you have been trained by the Lord your God.
You shall also consider in your heart, that, as a man chastens his son, so the LORD your God chastens you.
6 Then keep the orders of the Lord your God, fearing him and walking in his ways.
Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.
7 For the Lord your God is guiding you into a good land, a land of water-springs, of fountains, and deep streams flowing out from the valleys and the hills;
For the LORD your God brings you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
8 A land of grain and vines and fig-trees and fair fruits; a land of oil-giving olive-trees and honey;
A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;
9 Where there will be bread for you in full measure and you will be in need of nothing; a land where the very stones are iron and from whose hills you may get copper.
A land wherein you shall eat bread without scarceness, you shall not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you may dig brass.
10 And you will have food enough and be full, praising the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.
When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which he has given you.
11 Then take care that you are not turned away from the Lord your God and from keeping his orders and decisions and laws which I give you this day:
Beware that you forget not the LORD your God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command you this day:
12 And when you have taken food and are full, and have made fair houses for yourselves and are living in them;
Lest when you have eaten and are full, and have built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;
13 And when your herds and your flocks are increased, and your stores of silver and gold, and you have wealth of every sort;
And when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied;
14 Take care that your hearts are not lifted up in pride, giving no thought to the Lord your God who took you out of the land of Egypt, out of the prison-house;
Then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;
15 Who was your guide through that great and cruel waste, where there were poison-snakes and scorpions and a dry land without water; who made water come out of the hard rock for you;
Who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought you forth water out of the rock of flint;
16 Who gave you manna for your food in the waste land, a food which your fathers had never seen; so that your pride might be broken and your hearts tested for your good in the end;
Who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers knew not, that he might humble you, and that he might prove you, to do you good at your latter end;
17 Say not then, in your hearts, My power and the strength of my hands have got me this wealth.
And you say in your heart, My power and the might of mine hand has got me this wealth.
18 But keep in mind the Lord your God: for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth, so that he may give effect to the agreement which he made by his oath with your fathers, as at this day.
But you shall remember the LORD your God: for it is he that gives you power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore unto your fathers, as it is this day.
19 And it is certain that if at any time you are turned away from the Lord your God, and go after other gods, to be their servants and to give them worship, destruction will overtake you.
And it shall be, if you do at all forget the LORD your God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that all of you shall surely perish.
20 Like the nations which the Lord is cutting off before you, so you will be cut off; because you would not give ear to the voice of the Lord your God.
As the nations which the LORD destroys before your face, so shall all of you perish; because all of you would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.